Literary Devices Flashcards
Enjambment
the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break.
Rhyme scheme
the pattern of rhymes used in a poem, usually marked by letters to symbolize correspondences
End stopped line
An end-stopped line is a feature in poetry in which the syntactic unit (phrase, clause, or sentence) corresponds in length to the line.
(Enjambment is the opposite)
Free verse
poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.
Blank verse
verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter.
Foot
A foot is a unit of metre, consisting of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Stanza
an arrangement of a certain number of lines, usually four or more, sometimes having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme, forming a division of a poem.
Rhyme
correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry.
End rhyme
when a poem has lines ending with words that sound the same
Internal rhyme
a rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another at the end of the line or in the middle of the next.
Slant rhyme
(known also as half-rhyme or imperfect rhyme) refers to words that almost rhyme, or appear to the eye to do so
⬇️ ⬇️
Farm, yarn Said, paid
Onomatopoeia
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named
Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Consonance
repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase
Assonance
the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible
Auditory imagery
a form of mental imagery that is used to organize and analyze sounds when there is no external auditory stimulus present.
Tactile imagery
An image of an object as perceived by the sense of touch.
Visual imagery
The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas.
Olfactory imagery
Words or descriptions that evoke a sense of smell
Gustatory imagery
words, descriptions or pictures in your brain that make you think of taste.
Metaphors
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Simile
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid
Conceit
a fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor.
Personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Understatement
a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is.
Irony
the contrast between the apparent situation and the real situation (or if you prefer, the discrepancy between expectation and fulfillment). VERBAL: a contrast between what someone says and what he/she means
SITUATIONAL: a contrast between what it seems like will happen and what really does happen
DRAMATIC: a contrast between what a the audience or characters know and what another character doesn’t know
Apostrophe
The definition of apostrophe as a literary device is when a speaker breaks off from addressing one party and instead addresses a third party.
